Banks tips supercity go-ahead for Auckland

Auckland Mayor John Banks is tipping the go ahead for the creation of a supercity when a Royal Commission into Auckland Governance is delivered to the Government today.

Mr Banks said he thought the report would favour an Auckland supercity of 1.4 million people uniting its four cities, three district councils and a regional authority.

Mr Banks, who said he did not know what was in the report, believed the same fate awaited Wellington.

Some Aucklanders believed their city had been kept divided since the 19th century for fear its power and influence would exceed that of Wellington and Parliament, Mr Banks told the Dominion Post.

"What I do know is that there is no future for Wellington, for New Zealand, unless Auckland lifts its game."

He said Auckland needed to be united for the sake of the country's wellbeing.

"It is now time for judgment day, so we cannot look backwards and I am prepared to accept the deliberations of the royal commission on face value, taking the good with the bad," Mr Banks said.

The commission was chaired by retired High Court judge Peter Salmon and included Dame Margaret Bazley and David Shand.

Its report will be presented to Governor-General Anand Satyanand but the public is not expected to know its contents until next week.

Prime Minister John Key has said that Local Government Minister Rodney Hide will lead the Government's response to the report.

- NZPA